


Beyond the Sea

by Aubrie1234



Series: Elements of Recovery [1]
Category: BioShock 1 & 2 (Video Games), BioShock Infinite, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Dimensions, Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Have a Good Relationship, F/M, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Memory Loss, Mind Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Season/Series 02, Protective Dustin Henderson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:21:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29802855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aubrie1234/pseuds/Aubrie1234
Summary: After Graduation of '85, Steve Harrington goes missing. This time it's not the Upside Down. Hawkins thinks it's a lost cause, like Barb. The Harringtons really don't care about the matter. But Steve's friends do.When they find him again, he's not the same as he once was. Yet that's only a drop in the pond compared to what he's been through...
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Everyone, Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove & Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Everyone, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & The Party
Series: Elements of Recovery [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190645
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue: Big Brother is Watching

**Author's Note:**

> So, this one has been in the works for a few months and is sort of a half-crossover, half-AU. The reason why that is is because they technically DO crossover into the BioShock universe (two separate dimensions) but they don't encounter anyone from the BioShock universe that is particular important (except for certain OCs). Also, if you know BioShock, be wary, as the warnings from that game series will apply here. But the story is formatted so that, if you don't know BioShock, then it will introduce you to it from the side of Stranger Things, including a lot of the horrors. This DOES NOT include the prologue, but it doesn't spoil anything if you don't know what you're looking for.
> 
> While this is post-S2, S3 is going to happen but not for another year, getting pushed back to 1986. It messes with the timeline and I understand that but there are REASONS why I'm only pushing it and not discarding it completely. Other things also change, but that's the main issue.
> 
> I blame Kuma for lovingly feeding my ideas and creating this monster, along with a few other people on the server. It's also my birthday and I decided to make this a present for everyone who wants to read it.
> 
> While this story is WIP at the moment, I've got many chapters finished and so I'll try updating once a week or so until I get caught up with the chapters. Expect edits for chapters in the future in they need it.
> 
> If there are warnings or tags I leave out, please let me know so I can add those in. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Arlie was investigating the angels in Neptune’s Bounty while she waited for her protector to arrive. He said he’d be back soon and she knew he wouldn’t let her get hurt. He’d made that his mission since she’d met him. Protecting his kids had always been important to him. The diaries he kept in the backpack she had on were testament to that.

Arlie looked up when she heard a noise. It was one of those masked strangers. They hadn’t seen her yet and were singing to themselves. She looked around. Her protector still hadn’t returned. She began backing away, trying to be quiet. But then the back of her foot bumped against a bottle and the bottle rolled, making a noise. The stranger turned to her and stopped singing. Arlie ran. He always told her to hide whenever something happened and that was what she was trying to do now. If she could hide and wait, he’d be right back and take care of the stranger.

Arlie ducked into a room but then her foot hit an oil slick and she fell over. Her needle hit the ground first, bouncing against the wooden floor. She scrambled to her feet, looking back. There was the stranger, running closer. She gave an alarmed cry and continued to run. Surely he would hear that and come to her aid. But she couldn’t keep ahead of the stranger for long and they managed to grab her arm. Arlie cried out again.

 _“Knock that off, brat!”_ growled the stranger, jerking her arm. Arlie prepared to cry out again when the hallway shook from a screech. Had her protector returned? The stranger was understandably frightened and let go of her. She stumbled away, glancing back to see a Big Sister come running down the hall, dress flying about. The faceplate was glowing red and she screeched again. The stranger tried to run but the Big Sister was too fast. She impaled the stranger on her giant needle before pummeling him to the ground. Arlie only saw rose petals fall from the stranger’s body before they grew wings and became an angel. The Big Sister tossed the angel aside, faceplate now a gentle yellow to match her spotless dress. She rumbled to Arlie, telling her that things were okay now, but the girl was suspicious. This was not her protector.

“Leave me alone.” she said. The Big Sister rumbled again and approached her. Arlie backed away until she hit a wall. She was now cornered. She cried out again, louder this time. There was an answering roar, but much deeper in pitch. Arlie’s eyes lit up. The Big Sister growled and turned towards the source of the noise. There was no more roaring but Arlie knew that was what her protector did. The only warning he gave was a single roar, and then he was silent the rest of the time. He was a ruthless protector and super sneaky. The Big Sister wouldn’t know what hit her. And speaking of the Big Sister, she looked around for the source of the roar, only to find nothing. She rumbled to Arlie to come with her and Arlie refused. The Big Sister, now frustrated, tried to grab her. That was when Arlie’s protector appeared.

He was thin but strong, like the Big Sister, but smaller and his outfit was different, starting with how it was a tuxedo instead of a dress. His helmet was shaped like a knight’s with how it was pointed in the front, from what Arlie had seen in history books. His visor was glowing red and he too had a cage on his back, only square-ish in shape and more of a seat for her to ride on. His right arm had a thin drill attached while the other carried a large needle, like the Big Sister. He also had special openings on his gloves to allow him to use Plasmids. Arlie sat back to watch the fight. Her protector would win, she knew for sure. He never lost and fought so hard.

First thing he did was to grab the Big Sister and yank her away from Arlie. The Big Sister screeched in rage, her porthole turning red again, and she tried to strike the protector. He took the needle to the stomach and soon it was yanked away. However, the hole quickly sealed as if it had never been there. The Big Sister paused in confusion and that allowed the protector to punch her across the hall. He then gripped his fist, turning on the drill, and charged the Big Sister. She blocked it with her harpoon and they exchanged blows. For the most part they were even. But then Arlie’s protector managed to get in an uppercut and that threw the Big Sister off-balance enough for him to take advantage and begin to pummel her. Arlie saw petals begin to fall from tears in her dress. The Big Sister snarled and pushed Arlie’s protector away before she ran. The protector watched her run, clenching his fists, but didn’t follow. He turned back to Arlie, visor now glowing golden. The young girl clapped like it had been a staged performance.

“That was so cool!” Arlie cheered. Her protector chuckled.

 **“Glad you think so. You okay?”** he asked, voice a deep rumble. She nodded and climbed onto the seat on his back.

“Yep!” Arlie said, “Let’s keep looking for angels.”

 **“Sure thing. Strap in.”** Arlie reached for the seatbelts. Another thing about her protector was that he liked keeping her safe, so he’d installed belts on the seat. Once she was buckled in and gave him a thumbs up, he started running. Arlie cried out in delight, watching the walls of Rapture blur around her. Soon enough they’d left Neptune’s Bounty behind and were heading to Hephaestus. Her protector slowed down, his long strides shortening to small bounds and then they came to a stop. Arlie unbuckled herself and looked around at all the angels.

“Are all these for me?” she asked, “Is this what you were doing?”

 **“Yeah, sweetie.”** He ruffled her hair. As she skipped away to begin draining the angels, he trailed after her. She harvested the angels and behind her she could hear her protector shuffle around. He was always searching for threats.

“You need to relax.” she said. He turned to her.

 **“Can’t. You know that.”** he said. She did, but still. He never let the tension leave him, unlike the other protectors she’d seen around. He always looked at ease from a glance but she knew better. Even the Big Sisters relaxed when there was no danger. Arlie turned to him. She got an idea.

“Could we go to Fort Frolic?” she asked. He tilted his head.

**“Why?”**

“Maybe there’s a play on or something.” Her protector considered it.

**“After we finish here we’ll go. Okay?”**

“Okay.” Arlie nodded. She then tugged him over to harvest with her. He didn’t do it often because he really had no need to but Arlie knew that it would help him get his mind off things. He was nervously looking around at first but soon enough he got into the draining like she did. His syringe had already been half-full and it quickly filled up with more ADAM. And when Arlie got hungry, he offered his syringe to her. Taking care of her always came first for him. She accepted his offer and when they finished, she climbed into his seat and they took off again. This was always Arlie’s favorite part. All too soon they’d arrived at Fort Frolic. Since Sander Cohen’s demise, the splicers here had more freedom to do as they wished and sometimes they held their own plays. Arlie had heard of some from her friends and she hoped one was showing at the moment. Her protector needed the break that watching a play entailed. It was just their luck that there was one on, called _Romeo and Juliet_. Her protector tilted his head when he read the marquee.

**“** **_Romeo and Juliet_ ** **? That sounds familiar…”**

“Have you seen it before?” asked Arlie. She saw his faceplate flicker, a sign that he’d closed his eyes briefly.

 **“...No.”** He shook his head. He said no more and they walked inside. The play had already started and so they grabbed seats in the back. Arlie could see several other Little Sisters and their own protectors among some of the more civilized strangers. They sat back and watched the play together. Sometimes her protector would close his eyes for long periods of time, but when Arlie tugged on his arm, he would come back to her. She wondered if he was thinking about things. She’d wanted this to help him relax but maybe it was doing the opposite. Was he slipping into those weird states again? He did it sometimes out of nowhere, like she did, but was there something about the play that was doing it to him?

“We could leave.” she whispered as Mercutio and Tybalt fought, “You don’t look good.”

 **“I’m okay.”** He shook his head. He made no action to move from his spot and so they continued with the play. It was when Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, however, that his light fluctuated and he had to turn away. He was breathing harder, bringing a hand to rest on his helmet. Arlie gently tugged on his arm to ask what was wrong but he ignored her. That was an oddity in and of itself. She gave him a worried look but as soon as the play finished he was picking her up and bringing her outside.

“Are you okay?” she asked, sitting against his hip from how he was holding her.

 **“Yeah.”** he said, but it was somewhat breathless. Had he been crying? She put a hand on his visor, trying to see past the glow. He had to see how worried she was, right? She leaned forward to give him a better chance to see her look. He couldn’t resist it, Arlie knew. He gave a sigh, saying, **“I think I remembered something, but I don’t know.”**

“You mean like when you go into one of those weird states?” Arlie asked.

 **“Yeah. It was familiar but not at the same time. I can’t remember now, though.”** He pat her head, **“I’m fine now, I promise.”** He looked around for a clock and spotted the time, **“It’s getting late. We should head back to Apollo Square.”**

“Okay.” Arlie climbed over his shoulder and strapped in again. One short run later and they were soon standing outside the Artemis Suites. Arlie’s protector jumped to one of the upper floors, above the collapsed stairway, and entered through a hole in the wall. This was where they’d made their home for the time being. Arlie yawned as she unbuckled herself. She jumped to the floor and made her way to one of the two beds in the room, dropping her backpack beside it. Her protector would take the other. A lamp was burning between the two, the only source of light in the room. He strode over as she was getting in bed and tucked her in.

“Goodnight kiss?” she asked. He took off his helmet to oblige. Like her own eyes, his were glowing yellow and his skin was pale. His hair was long and brown and somewhat lifeless, tied in a long ponytail to allow it to fit in the helmet better. But the expression on his face, a kind smile to fit in with a pretty face, made up for his pallor appearance. He kissed her forehead and left the helmet on the table beside the lamp. He took off the seat, rid himself of his needle and drill, and took off the rest of his suit. While he was pale all over he was decently beautiful and undamaged, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. He stored his suit away beside his own bed and reached to turn the light off. The lamplight briefly glinted off an ‘S’ carved into the back of his left glove on his suit.

“‘Night, Mama.”

**“‘Night, Arlie.”**


	2. 1 - Summer of Loss

Nancy was quite sure that, if anyone was to blame for Steve’s disappearance, she would always feel somewhat responsible. It was a feeling she’d had ever since she’d broken up with Steve. And now that they were friends, she should’ve known he wasn’t just ignoring their friendship to work on other things, like getting his own job. The last time anyone had seen him was at graduation and… that was it. No one would’ve even known Steve had been missing if Dustin hadn’t insisted on going to see him when he got back from his month-long summer camp experience at the end of June. Nancy knew the Party cared a lot about Steve, especially after what he’d done for them last November, and so she didn’t try to be angry at them when she saw the guilt on their faces. They were only starting to become teenagers, they wanted to spend their summer with each other. But it still hurt to see that they hadn’t even thought to check on Steve until Dustin’s return. Nancy knew that she had no right to get onto them for it, their personal guilt was enough, but she couldn’t help feeling angry. She would always feel responsible for Steve. She was just as guilty as them for not checking in on him. After all, they were friends now and she should’ve known something was up when she hadn’t heard from him since graduation. But she had her own life and things to do, things she’d gotten so caught up in she hadn’t thought of much else besides her relationship with Jonathan.

Sitting with him in his car as they waited at a stoplight, Nancy knew that feeling guilty and wishing you could change things wouldn’t help their predicament. Just like Barb. Nancy had felt so guilty for what happened and had every right to be, but she had learned from that experience that guilt does nothing to help. It eats you up inside until you can’t take it anymore and try to do something about it. And having to sign an NDA didn’t help. At least Barb’s parents got some kind of closure. But Steve missing? This was different. No one had any idea what happened to him. It was like he vanished off the face of the Earth. There had been no trace of where he’d gone, not even Will’s disappearance had left as little clues. Nancy knew Hopper wasn’t giving up on finding Steve but it had been two months since graduation and there was no sign of him. Nancy knew that she had a tendency to latch onto something and not let go until it was finished, such as finally getting justice for Barb, but there was something about Steve’s disappearance that made her feel like there wouldn’t be an ending. She winced when she spotted one of the _‘Have you seen me?’_ posters. Steve’s face stared out at her from his yearbook photo, bright and happy. Nancy wondered who thought those posters would actually help. She was pretty sure it had been Steve’s parents’ idea.

Nancy had never met them, but from all that Steve had told her, she knew they hadn’t been the best parents. They were always gone and so he was always alone in his huge house. It was why he loved to throw parties, why he went after so many relationships. But there was something that changed when she came into the picture. Nancy was not illusioned to the fact that Steve had well and truly loved her and that was not a version of guilt she would ever be able to get over. She didn’t know why Steve had decided she was the one, either. But she was the reason he changed, he wanted to keep her and prove himself, so all the things he did for attention faded. He stopped the parties, he fell away from his other friends, he only turned to her. He didn’t even go back to Tommy and Carol after they broke up and he’d lost his title. He was alone. He was alone except for the Party, and most of that was from Dustin. They kept him from being completely isolated but Nancy was sure even they couldn’t keep him happy all the time. Growing up like he had had to have left some serious issues, ones she hadn’t been privy to or, worse, hadn’t seen. She wondered if his loneliness had been part of the reason for his disappearance.

“Nancy?” Jonathan was looking over at her, “You okay?”

“No.” she admitted. She glanced down when she felt his hand slide to cover hers. He had to have known what she was thinking about, they knew each other a little too well.

“It’ll all be okay.” he said. She wasn’t so sure.

* * *

Nancy, on her days off, went to the pool with her brother and his friends. Since summer began they either liked to spend their time here or at the new mall. They had wanted to stop going after learning of Steve’s disappearance but they hadn’t. Nancy wondered why. As it was, though, since it wasn’t Jonathan’s day off, she was spending it alone, in a way. Nancy laid on one of the available chairs after covering Max and Will in sunscreen, the two most likely to burn, and watched them behind her sunglasses and in a somewhat conservative swimsuit. She glanced around sometimes, quickly growing bored of watching the kids. She knew her mother had been making trips to the pool this summer but she couldn’t see her today. She definitely could see the sneering face of Billy Hargrove, though. He was the lifeguard on duty and Nancy knew that he’d gotten a swelled ego from the little power he’d been given. He was just that type of guy. But he made no move to look at her. Usually, back in high school, he was an equal-opportunity antagonist. Was he actually taking his job seriously? Nancy looked over at all the women coming to the pool to see him, including older ones she clearly recognized as mothers and married. Nancy’s nose scrunched up in disgust. Her view was blocked as the chair beside her was taken and she blinked in surprise at who she saw.

“Tommy?” Nancy had kept her distance from him since Nov. 1983, around the same time Steve had dumped him and Carol to just be with Nancy. But like the follower he was, Tommy had quickly latched onto Billy when Billy came and fallen back into his ways. But looking at him now, Tommy looked sad. Nancy had never seen him like this. Scared, sure, even really angry or horny, but never sad.

“Hey, Wheeler.” Tommy tried to shoot her a smile but it didn’t do much. She could smell the sunscreen on him, so he was planning to stay here a while in his swim trunks. Nancy wondered if this was a coincidence or if Tommy had come to sit beside her for a reason. She looked away and waited. She was right when he began to speak again, “Can we talk, please?”

“Okay.” Nancy nodded. He never said please.

“Have you heard anything new? About…about Steve?” She looked at him. Tommy was staring out at the pool but still engulfed by his sadness.

“No. Why?” she asked slowly.

“Just worried.” Tommy murmured.

“You’re not friends anymore.”

“I know.” They fell into silence. Nancy shifted uneasily.

“We’re still looking for him.” she added.

“That’s good.” More silence. It seemed Tommy, now that he had asked what he’d wanted, was in no mood to begin speaking. But Nancy was curious. She glanced around.

“Where’s Carol?”

“Working.” Tommy said.

“So you’re here alone?”

“It’s my day off.” He shrugged, “I usually work on the pipes in Starcourt, making sure they’re all working and stuff.”

“That’s nice.” Nancy said. She crossed her arms, “Can I ask why you asked me about Steve?” Quiet came again. The silence was filled with shrieking children and splashing water. Nancy thought Tommy wasn’t going to answer her. But then he did.

“We grew up together.” he finally said, “We were good friends. Then I met Carol and we grew apart. Then you came along.” For the first time since he’d sat down, he looked at her, “I know I was a shithead. I know I made him that way, even though his own issues also had a hand in it. But I still cared about him. He refused to talk to me after he went with you, but I tried to keep tabs on him. I cared, even if I knew he wanted me gone. I just wanted him to be okay in my own shitty way that I went about it. I even tried to talk to him again after graduation but I couldn’t find him. I thought he was trying to avoid me or just people in general for some reason. And when I heard about his disappearance…” Tommy closed his eyes, “I know I don’t deserve to ask you any of this. I know I was terrible to you too. But can I ask you to let me know if you find him?” He looked back to the pool again. Nancy processed it in silence. She hadn’t been around long enough to see anything of Tommy except the horrible guy he’d been. But she knew from Steve that Tommy had been in his life for a long time. It had been a hard break and though Steve had said he’d felt better cutting away from Tommy, there was no masking the hurt and loneliness in his eyes. He missed Tommy. And Tommy missed him.

“I’ll let you know.” Nancy spoke at last. She saw Tommy’s mouth crook into a smile, almost invisible.

“Thanks, Nancy.” Quiet came down upon them again, but this time, there was no awkwardness to it. Nancy left him be and went back to watching the Party.

* * *

Nancy hadn’t expected the knock at the window while she was reading. Heart swelling with hope, the only person who had ever come to her window having been Steve, she went to open it. But when she saw who was outside, she glared and closed the curtains. What was Billy doing here? At least she hadn’t undressed yet. As she moved back to the bed, he knocked again. And again. And _again_.

“What do you want?!” She snapped at last, throwing the window open. Billy’s face wasn’t in the usual smirk or smile he had, he was frowning.

“Well, first, I wanted to avoid your mom. Not really a fan.” he said, “Second, saw you with Tommy and the brats today.”

“And?”

“Wanted to ask if you were talking ‘bout Harrington.” He’d seen them talking? Nancy glared harder.

“You beat his face into a pulp last time. You have no right to be here.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Billy, who had been crouching on the roof, dug around in his pockets for a cigarette and lighter. She was surprised with his balance. He must’ve climbed houses a lot. She scrunched her nose as she remembered all the girls he’d bragged about bedding.

“Then _why are you here_?”

“Look, Wheeler, I just wanted to know if there’s been anything. Heard about Will Byers and I wanna know if Harrington might end up the same way. Or if he’s gonna end up like Barb Holland.” Nancy flinched.

“He’ll be found, safe and sound.” She said it not just for Billy’s peace of mind but her own, even if she knew it wouldn’t work. Billy snorted.

“If there’s anything I know about this town, it’s that missing people always stir something up.” He looked up at her, lit cigarette now between his lips, “Guess I’ll have to go and get it through Max, then.” He made to climb down, maybe the same way Steve used to. It made her heart swell again.

“...There hasn’t been anything.” Nancy said. Billy paused, “If you know anything about why he’s missing-”

“I don’t.” And then he left, sliding down the roof. Nancy watched him leave, wondering why she hadn’t heard him pull up, only to see that his car wasn’t in sight. He hadn’t wanted people to know he was here. Nancy wondered why Billy even came by. He was enemies with Steve, he didn’t care. Nancy supposed she’d have to ask Max in the morning, if anything changed between Billy and Steve before Steve’s disappearance. Sliding her window closed, Nancy hoped she wouldn’t get any more window visitors tonight.

* * *

After work, Nancy rode with Jonathan as they went to the Byers’. She’d asked Mike in the morning if he could ask Max to stay with the group after they were done for the day. But as far as she knew, Mike might forget to tell Max. Or wouldn’t do it out of spite for something she either didn’t know or didn’t remember. He could be nasty like that sometimes. She hoped the kids would be there. She knew that Max had made it clear they couldn’t call her house and Mike didn’t let Nancy near his walkie so the woman had limited options.

“Can I ask why you wanted to talk to Max today?” Jonathan asked as they pulled up to the house.

“Something occurred to me last night.” Nancy said. She didn’t know why she wasn’t telling Jonathan about Billy, but maybe she’d tell him later. She went on, “The last person Steve had a serious issue with was Billy.”

“You don’t think he had anything to do with Steve’s disappearance, do you?” Jonathan’s eyebrows had shot up.

“No.” Nancy shook her head, “It’s not that. I know Hopper probably asked him all sorts of questions but I wanna know if he might have any idea of why or how Steve went missing. Maybe they became friends and we didn’t know it? Just any kind of change between them is what I'm thinking.”

“Then why ask Max?”

“She’s better at finding out his secrets than we are, since she’s closer. I think he’d just lie about it if we asked.” Nancy again thought back to the night before. She wondered if he’d been lying about asking if they’d found anything. He’d certainly put in a lot of effort to go see her and not be found. Nancy hoped Max would be able to give her more of something to go on. After Jonathan nodded in understanding, they went into the house. Immediately they were hit with an earthy smell, as if someone had tried digging in the house. The couple shared a look and began searching for the kids, finding them in Will’s room. Or at least some of them. Max was there, along with Will and Lucas. They’d been talking on Will’s bed quietly and straightened up when the teens appeared in the doorway.

“Hey.” Max greeted, “You said you wanted to talk?” Nancy nodded. She glanced at the boys. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them, they were some of the quieter ones in the group, but she didn’t need this getting out.

“Think we could talk alone?” The kids looked surprised. They exchanged looks before Max got up to follow Nancy, leaving Jonathan with Will and Lucas. They slipped into Joyce’s room and closed the door. Max’s arms were crossed, suspicious.

“Has Billy said anything to you about Steve since the fight?” Nancy asked.

“Some things. Why?”

“I know you’ve probably been asked a lot by Hopper but I wanna know if something changed between Billy and Steve after the fight.” Max shrugged.

“Not much. Billy apologized and he and Steve mostly went back to being rivals. Sometimes Billy asks about him, if I know anything, but other than that he doesn’t say much about Steve.”

“Do you know why he’s asking?” Nancy probed. Max shook her head.

“Nope. I thought he didn’t care about Steve.” Well, that didn’t tell Nancy much beyond what she already knew. But then Max looked away and said, “There’s one thing I don’t get, though.”

“What is it?”

“During the year, in his notebooks, he doodles sometimes when he’s bored. I’ve seen some of his doodles and it’s only in his English notebook that I see him doodling Steve.”

“Really?” asked Nancy.

“Usually it’s just a picture of Steve at his desk from behind, but that’s about it.” Max shrugged again, “Dunno why he does those.” Nancy thought about it. It looked random but if she wondered if there was a reason. It meant Billy still had some kind of interest in Steve and she remembered Steve mentioning that, besides gym and basketball, they had English together.

“Can you try looking more into it?” Nancy asked. Max grimaced.

“If there’s one thing he won’t let me do, it’s go into his room. I only saw those by accident when I was looking through his backpack for a Snickers I know he had stashed in there. D’you think the drawings mean something?”

“I dunno. But thanks for your help, Max.” As Max walked out of the room, Nancy saw smudges on the floor. She glanced down at Max’s shoes, just before they were out of sight, and saw mud on them. Was that what she’d smelled when she entered the house? And it hadn’t rained for days, so where had the mud come from? Nancy frowned. What were the kids up to?


	3. 2 - The Cracks

Dustin remembered the last time he’d seen Steve, at the end of May and just before the elder was to graduate, before Dustin had to go to Camp Know Where. Dustin had assured Steve that they’d get to be together all summer after he came back, seeing as they wouldn’t be able to after graduation. Steve’s parents were supposed to pick him up for a week-long vacation right after. But now that he looked back on it, Dustin should’ve known that things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly…

* * *

_“...and then we’ll get to build our own radios!” Dustin said. He was showing Steve the pamphlet for the science-themed summer camp he’d be going to next week. Graduation was just days away and Dustin knew Steve was nervous. It was the reason he’d come over to see Steve. That, and just showing off the place he was going to for the next month._

_“Yeah? So you’ll be able to get signals all over the place like a ham?” Steve asked. Dustin nodded._

_“I’ll be able to talk with my new friends.”_

_“That’s good.” Steve’s smile was shaky. Dustin’s face fell._

_“You okay?”_

_“Yeah.” Steve drug a hand through his hair, “Just thinking.”_

_“Worried about graduation?”_

_“Kinda. But you don’t need to fret about that. Everything’s fine.”_

_“Then why are you worried?” Dustin asked. He knew that Steve had been worried about graduation for weeks. Shouldn’t Steve be happy that he won’t have to stress over school anymore? Jonathan and Nancy seemed to like their internships, which was practically the same as a job, right? So Steve shouldn’t have any trouble. And he had the Party, so there was no need to worry about losing his friends from school. Not like he still had any, which sucked, but at least they would be there for Steve._

_“Just-” Steve sighed, “I dunno what I’m gonna do with my life after graduation.”_

_“Aren’t you going to college?”_

_“Maybe. Dad wants me to take a year off to show him I can be responsible.”_

_“I think you’re pretty responsible.” Dustin said._

_“Babysitting doesn’t count, nor does what happened in November.”_

_“How does protecting us not count? You beat up Billy Hargrove!”_

_“More like he beat me up.” Steve quipped, “And we’re not supposed to say anything related to what happened, you know that.”_

_“Dude, the whole town knows you fought Billy!”_

_“But they don’t know I was protecting you guys, so that doesn’t count as responsible. As my father thinks, it was reckless.” Dustin frowned._

_“That sucks.”_

_“Yeah.” Steve reached over to ruffle Dustin’s hat, “But at least I’m staying around to keep an eye on you brats, huh?”_

_“Stop that!” Dustin ducked away, “Where are you going to work, anyway?”_

_“Thought about applying for a job at the new mall.”_

_“Well, when I get home, I’ll make sure to come by and see you.” Dustin said._

_“You can try.” Steve said, “But don’t forget your other friends. You should see them first.”_

_“But I’ll still come to see you, I promise. I know you don’t have a lot of friends so I want you to know I’ll always be there for you.” Dustin stared into Steve’s eyes, trying to convey the emotion he was trying to put into words. The elder paused before shaking his head._

_“Thanks, Dustin. So, tell me more about Camp Know Where?” Dustin lit up as he once again began explaining things about the camp to Steve._

* * *

Steve had needed him and Dustin had failed. Saying he hated it was an understatement. Saying he was angry at his friends for not thinking once about going to see Steve because they were caught up in their own things was toeing the line of being an understatement. At least they had the grace to be ashamed.

“Dustin?” It was Will. Dustin glanced at him with a frown. He was visiting Will while the others were at the mall, as usual. He could understand Lucas, Max, Mike, and El all wanting to be with each other, but Will should’ve at least checked on Steve. _Someone_ should’ve checked on him. But it seemed that Dustin was the only one that cared. It was summer, none of them were busy enough to ignore Steve, so why didn’t they even think to go see him?

“What?” Dustin grumbled.

“I think I found something.” He turned his eyes on Will. The smaller teen looked understandably nervous, maybe even frightened. Will only ever looked like this now if it related to the Upside Down. This worried the hat-wearing teen.

“What did you find?”

“Just come look.” Will led the way. They left the Byers’ house and headed into the woods. Dustin knew that they might be safer contacting one of the adults, even Jonathan or Nancy, but the sooner they figured out what Will had found the better a plan they would be able to come up with to deal with it. So Dustin followed his friend deeper into the woods, glad it was still daylight. But then Will was pointing to the base of one of the trees and Dustin looked closer and- _Wow_.

“What _is_ this?” Dustin leaned closer only for Will to pull him back.

“Don’t get too close!” Will said, “I don’t know. I think Jonathan mentioned something like this once, back when I went missing. He said Nancy went through one and it took her to the Upside Down.” He gestured around, “And it’s not the only one I’ve found.” Dustin looked. There were other fleshy holes in trees, just like this one.

“Any idea why there are so many? We know El accidentally opened one when it all started.” Will became troubled.

“You don’t think more demogorgons decided to come through or someone made all these, do you?”

“Dunno.” Dustin knelt to examine the hole again. His eyes lit up, “Have you been out here since Steve disappeared?”

“No, why?”

“These might be connected to why Steve went missing!”

“You sure?” Will was skeptical. Dustin knew the theory was far-out, but it was _something_.

“Maybe, after we get some supplies, we could-”

“Uh, no! Are you crazy?” Will vigorously shook his head. Dustin knew Will would be against this. It was only fair, after all that Will had been through. But if there was _any_ chance that Steve could be found, Dustin was willing to risk it.

“You don’t have to come. And we won’t be going alone. Strength in numbers, y’know? The others would definitely help.”

“But who says this has anything to do with Steve?”

“It’s the only lead we’ve got.” Dustin said, “And you share the woods with him. If he came out here after he got home and saw these, he might’ve tried to investigate and ended up disappearing.”

“But then that means something happened to him.” Will looked afraid, “Dustin, you don’t know what it’s like in there. It’s an awful place, silent and poisonous and filled with demogorgons. If he went through there and hasn’t been heard from for two months, then he might not be alive.”

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!” Dustin exclaimed. He sniffed, trying not to cry. He didn’t want to break down in front of Will, who already had so much on his shoulders, but it was getting too much for him. He continued, “You don’t get it! You have Jonathan, Mike has Nancy, even Lucas has Erica and Max has Billy! I don’t have anyone! Steve was the closest thing to a brother and I knew he was lonely as hell. To find out he was missing the whole month I was gone just makes it worse. I should’ve stayed behind to be with him so this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Dustin…” Will put his arms around his friend. He knew that, out of all of the Party, Dustin was the closest to Steve. None of them had even known Steve before last November but Dustin’s bond with him seemed to happen overnight. And Steve had tried so hard to keep all of them safe, too. Will had never seen that protectiveness himself but Steve had always tried to make time to be with Will if he needed it. Steve had picked Will up from school when Jonathan was unable to and Will couldn’t deny the affection he had for the older man. Steve meant a lot to all of them, but especially to Dustin. Will took a deep breath as he thought about what they could do, just to make sure if Steve was alive or if he was still stuck in the Upside Down. His eyes widened as he came to a conclusion. _Eleven._ She could find people after all, even if they were dead, just like she had with Barb and himself. Why had they not asked for her help yet?

“Hey, why don’t we go ask El?” Will proposed, “She might be able to find Steve.”

“She- she can, can’t she?” Dustin rubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands. Will nodded.

“Yeah. Let’s go see her.” They left the woods and went to grab their bikes. Will hoped El would be able to help. Whatever she said would either confirm or abolish their fears of Steve’s fate. Will knew that staying alive in the Upside Down for a week was torture, he couldn’t imagine how someone could last two months. He only hoped that, whatever answer they were given, it was that Steve wasn’t in the Upside Down and was still alive.

* * *

_“Hello?” Dustin called. There was no response._

_“He probably went out for a walk.” Mike said._

_“You haven’t seen Steve for the last month so you have no right to talk.” Lucas pointed out. Mike grumbled._

_“Neither have you.” he shot back._

_“Knock it off already.” said Max, giving them a look that said she would bash their heads together if they continued to argue. They entered Steve’s house cautiously. Dustin had been back for less than two hours and had insisted on going to see Steve. They had seen his car in the driveway, so he had to be around, right? But he hadn’t answered the door and they’d had to use the spare key. Now, standing in the huge, empty house, they knew they were alone. El frowned._

_“Wrong.” she said, “Something feels wrong.”_

_“It’s okay.” Mike assured her, “This place feels weird because it’s so big and empty.”_

_“Not that.” She shook her head. Dustin was inclined to agree with her. The hair on his neck was standing at attention. Something was off and he couldn’t tell what it was. Like always, the Party moved to the living room to sit down and wait for Steve to arrive. Dustin, however, was too anxious to just wait for the adult, wherever he might be. He went into the kitchen, looking for any sign that Steve had been there recently. He frowned as he looked at the countertops. They looked dusty. He dragged a finger across the counter and he found himself to be right. He went to look for other things of Steve’s, his anxiety increasing. He found Steve’s car keys in the little bowl he kept in the hallway, in easy reach and quite accessible, and the item that made his stomach drop was Steve’s jacket. It was the one Jonathan had given Steve as a graduation present, the one Steve had worn the same day he’d graduated, the one Steve joked represented his new connections with them, the one Steve promised to always wear. It looked as untouched as the dusty countertops as it hung from a dining chair. Dustin grabbed it and raced back to his friends._

_“Steve’s missing.” he said and held up the jacket. Will was the first to recognize it and got to his feet._

_“He could’ve left it behind.” Mike pointed out, but there was no dispersing the cloying sick feeling in the air, which had grown strong upon Dustin’s discovery. The group got to their feet and began looking around as Dustin told them of all the dust he’d found clinging to objects. If Steve had been home, using things, there would only be dust in the places he didn’t use. But there was dust_ everywhere _, even on the seats where they had been sitting. It made Dustin sick. Where was Steve? What had happened to him? But no matter how hard they searched, there was nothing to be found. No sign of Steve, only dust. It was at that point that Lucas left to call Hopper and Dustin knew that he should’ve stayed behind._

* * *

It was now going into August and they’d been investigating the Cracks, as they’d dubbed the fleshy holes in the trees, for several weeks. El, much to Dustin’s surprise, had been looking for Steve the whole time since he’d gone missing. While all she could find were distorted and jumbled things, she was sure he was still alive, even if she couldn’t tell where he was. That gave Dustin hope, enough for Will to go along with wanting to examine the Upside Down for clues. And of course they told the rest of the Party, who wanted to go along very very much. They were all worried for Will, but if they stayed together, then they would keep each other safe. Right?

They’d been safe so far in their small expeditions, at least, being able to keep themselves mostly clean and look around the Upside Down. To their amazement, the Upside Down was quiet and there had been no sign of monsters so far. And there had been no reports of missing animals or anything in Hawkins, so either the monsters were laying low or they hadn’t left the other dimension. It was weird. But as they explored, trying to figure out if there was any sign of Steve or why the monsters were gone, Will had begun to feel something strange every time they entered the other dimension. The hairs on the back of his neck stood rigid as goosebumps crossed his flesh, feeling like a warning of some sort that he couldn’t exactly understand. He gained a feeling of fear every time the goosebumps crossed his skin, but it wasn’t his own. It reminded him a lot of the dueling feelings he’d had while under the control of the Mind Flayer. The Party wondered if the Spider-Man-like warning sense was a side-effect of the Mind Flayer’s previous control.

“D’you think that means Will can feel what the Mind Flayer feels?” asked Max.

“Maybe.” Will murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, “If that’s true, he feels…scared.”

“Scared? Why would the MF feel scared?” Lucas wondered.

“Maybe it’s related to the Cracks.” Mike said, “Maybe they’re not supposed to be there. We already know something’s up, so if we find out what’s scaring the MF, that might help us learn more about what’s going on.” He turned to Will, “Any idea of what’s scaring him?”

“No.” Will shook his head, “But he seems to be afraid of a place, at least. The intensity changes depending on what direction we go in.”

“But do you think this might relate to Steve?” Dustin asked. It was getting less and less likely the Cracks had anything to do with what happened to the man.

“No idea.” Lucas said, “But once we find out what’s scaring the Mind Flayer, maybe we’ll find out.” And so, for their next expedition, they were suiting up to search for the source. None of them knew what they would find or if they would be gone long, but they only hoped that it would help them deal with the MF. Dustin still held a small spark that Steve was somehow involved in all this but the spark was growing smaller the more they investigated. What would they find at the source? And would they ever see Steve again? Dustin swallowed his fear and trailed behind the group as they walked to the Cracks. Mike was carrying a compass to follow Will’s MF-sense, just in case it might work despite how it hadn't worked last time they're tried it against the Upside Down. They entered one of the holes one by one and then began their expedition. After a brief walk around the area, they quickly came up with a direction of where the source could be and so began heading northwest. To their relief the compass was working and so it helped them follow their course better. And the closer they got to the source the greater the MF’s fear became, making Will uncomfortable.

“Okay?” asked El, walking beside him. Will nodded.

“Yeah. Just getting uncomfortable.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“We can still turn back.” Mike said, “We know we’re heading towards the quarry, at least.”

“No. It’s okay, guys.” Will said. The closer they came to something that the Mind Flayer clearly feared, the better Will felt. If they could use this source to their advantage and stop the MF once and for all, Will would be happy. He just wondered what could be in the quarry that would frighten the MF so much. While the rest of the Party seemed unsatisfied by his reply, they continued walking together, growing closer to something they hoped would give them some answers. And the closer they came to the quarry, the more red lightning lit up the sky. Did that mean that the MF was active around the quarry, dealing with the source of his fear? Will knew that red lightning meant the Mind Flayer was close and so he cautioned the others to be on guard. They climbed the ashy road up to the quarry with nervousness filling their bones. And when they finally came to the top of it, the ledge that looked over the lake, they couldn’t help but gasp. All over the walls of the quarry were slits that led to other places, from what they could tell. It was like the Cracks but more clean cut, as if they were slashed into the walls by another being. Did this mean a third invasion of Hawkins? Will suddenly hissed and rubbed the back of his neck again.

“There’s definitely something here that’s freaking out the MF.” he said, “And I think those openings have something to do with it.” His face was scrunched up in a frown but he didn’t seem to be in pain, at least.

“Well, we came here to see what’s making that monster so scared, _and_ we brought climbing equipment.” Max slung her backpack off her shoulder, “We should try exploring at least one of these openings and see where it leads. We’ve come too far to go back now!”

“They probably all lead back to Hawkins.” Mike said. El shook her head.

“No, different.” She looked around at all the openings before pointing to one, “There. Let’s try there first.”

“You sure?” Lucas asked.

“I have a feeling.” said El. She turned to shoot Dustin a smile and he had a suspicion that El chose that one opening for a reason. So they set up the equipment, trying to remember all they’d read up on for rock climbing, and started making their way down to the chosen opening in the rock face.


End file.
